Village of Westmont
Date Issued: July 13, 2015
On Sunday, July 12, there was a Muddy Waters Tribute and 100th Birthday Celebration on the closing night of the 2015 Taste of Westmont. Over 5000 people attended the Sunday event throughout the course of the day.
The tribute featured some of Chicago’s best blues artists and ended with a special presentation from Westmont Mayor Ron Gunter to Joe Morganfield, youngest son of Muddy Waters, giving him the Key to the Village. State Representative Patti Bellock, Westmont Special Events President John Chorney, and WSEC Vice President Bob Reid were also part of the presentation.
After a callout to the class of ‘83, Joe Morganfield told the audience, “Westmont will always be home to the Morganfield’s.” He thanked the audience and the Village for their support of maintaining the musical legacy of his dad, McKinley Morganfield, aka Muddy Waters.
Mayor Gunter announced that Muddy Waters had been inducted into the Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame earlier this year and that a special award was being sent to the Muddy Waters Museum, One S. Cass Avenue, Suite 102, in the near future.
The Muddy Waters Tribute featured an open mic blues jam from Noon to 4 p.m. More than 50 musicians of all ages (10 years old to 70 plus) and abilities (one of the bassists for the jam had only been playing for 6 months) had a chance to get up on stage and play the blues with some of Chicago’s greatest musicians. Then in the evening, the night was kicked off with Rick Kreher, Muddy Waters’ former guitarist and bandleader, as he led the group through the tribute. The line-up consisted of some of Chicago’s best blues musicians including Milwaukee Slim, Toronzo Cannon, Mike Wheeler, Demetria Taylor, Eddie Taylor Jr., Tom Holland, Marty “Big Dog” Mercer, Brother John Kattke, J.B. Ritchie, and more.
Photos from the event can be found in the Village of Westmont photo gallery - http://villageofwestmont.smugmug.com/2015/2015-Taste-of-Westmont
Video from the Muddy Waters Tribute can be found on the Village of Westmont YouTube Channel - https://goo.gl/PYD8ZF
###
Contact: Larry McIntyre
Village of Westmont Communications Director
630-981-6245, lmcintyre@westmont.il.gov
